Chapter 132 - Fury, Fear & The Hunt

Chapter 132 - Fury, Fear & The Hunt
Chapter 30 - Fury, Fear, and the Hunt

Lucen POV

Katrina was still laughing. Chelsea was still smirking.

And my heart was still lying shattered across the ballroom floor.

Then a blur of black and crimson slammed between them and me. Noctara, our mother, with her eyes glowing molten gold, and her claws out.

She seized both girls by the ears. Not gently.

“EEE...OW...STOP...!!” Katrina shrieked.

“Y-you can’t touch us!” Chelsea yelped.

Noctara growled, low and lethal. “I can touch whoever the fuck I want when they hurt my sons’ mates.”

Their faces went white. And everyone else backed the hell up.

“You disgusting little jealous bitches.” Noctara shook them both like misbehaving puppies.

“Playing sex tapes from last fucking year like it’s fresh? Sabotaging a mating bond? You’re lucky I don’t rip your fangs out.”

Katrina whimpered. Chelsea tried to pull away.

Noctara yanked harder. “Both of you, and your families, will be punished for this. You will clean the stables for the next year. Dawn to dusk. Every day.”

The girls choked.

“And your parents,” Noctara added with a deadly smile, “can muck right along beside you for raising such hateful, vile little brats.”

I stepped forward, shaking with fury. “Mom, that’s not enough.”

Rhaen stood beside me, his face pale with panic. His wolf howled in his head. Mine was nearly frothing.

“We want them gone,” I grated out. “Removed from the academy. Permanently.”

Noctara grimaced. “I’d love nothing more than to toss them off a cliff, son, but student expulsions require council approval. It won’t be easy.”

Rhaen ran both hands through his hair, his voice cracking. “We don’t have time for that! Nyx and Lyri....gods...they’re out there alone...Lucen, we have to go.”

I nodded. Hard. The bond inside me was clawing for air, and screaming for Nyxaria, for her scent, her heartbeat, her everything.

“They need to know,” Rhaen said, his chest heaving. “They need to know that video was from last year. We were drunk. We haven’t touched anyone since. They have to know.”

Kaelth snarled in my mind. "Find mate. Fix mate. Claim mate."

I grabbed my brother’s shoulder. “We go now.”

We scooped up the rings, and their scents lingered on the metal, bittersweet and painful.

“Mom,” Rhaen said, trembling. “Tell Dad where we went.”

She nodded. “Go. Bring them home.”

We shifted at the same time. My bones snapped. My lungs expanded. My claws dug into the marble floor.

Kaelth roared as we burst into wolf form, our pelts black streaked with silver, and our eyes glowing amber gold.

We didn’t run...we flew. Through the gardens. Across the courtyard. Into the night.

Their scent trail hit us like a punch, tears, dragon magic, and heartbreak.

We hunted it relentlessly. Through the academy gates.
Into the wilds. Into the Enchanted Woods.

The full moon lit the forest like a spotlight, and the trees shimmered with fae glow. I could feel Nyxaria’s aura calling to me, pulling like gravity.

Then we saw them.

Two dragons shrinking down into girls again, sitting curled together by a lake, trembling, holding each other like they were the last people on earth.
______________________

Rhaen POV

My heart cracked. Lyrielle’s sobbing scent shredded every sane thought I had left.

Vareth paced in my head, snarling. "Go to mate. Fix her. NOW."

The forest glowed silver, and the moonlight rippled over the lake where Lyrielle and Nyx were curled together like wounded animals. They were shaking, dragons trembling in human skin, and the sight nearly dropped me to my knees before I even got close.

Lucen and I shifted back to humanoid form, breathless, bare chested, barefoot, and fucking desperate.

We stepped into the clearing. Lyrielle’s head snapped up.

Nyxaria was already on her feet, her jaw tight, and fire in her golden eyes. “HELL NO. DON’T. YOU. DARE.”

Lyrielle stood beside her, tears streaking her face, and her voice cracking. “We saw it all, Rhaen! We saw, we....gods....how could you?”

The knife in her voice gutted me.

“That wasn’t recent,” I gasped with my heart in my throat. “Lyri....it was last year.”

Nyxaria’s breath stalled. “What?”

“LAST YEAR,” I repeated, falling to my knees so fast the ground shook. “We were drunk, and stupid, and it never happened again.”

Lyrielle blinked, confused. “Last… year?”

“Before your last birthday,” I said. “Before we knew anything about....about this.”

Lucen rubbed a hand over his face. “We haven’t touched anyone since that night. Not once. Not a kiss. Not a flirt. Not a breath.”

Nyxaria stared, trembling. “You’re....you’re serious.”

“As the fucking moon above us,” Lucen whispered, his voice breaking.

Lyrielle looked between us, and something flickered in her expression, relief, horror, and heartbreak layered together.

Then her eyes sharpened. She snarled.

“Those little bitches,” she hissed. “Katrina and Chelsea LIED?”

Nyxaria’s pupils narrowed into slits. “They played it so it looked new. They wanted to ruin us.”

Vareth roared approval in my skull. "Our mate is smart. She is fierce."

I swallowed hard. “We should’ve told you. Ages ago. We should’ve said what we knew. I should’ve said it.”

Nyxaria’s voice dropped, deadly quiet. “You think?”

Lucen winced. “Fair.”

Lyrielle hugged herself. “Why didn’t you tell us when you felt the bond starting?”

My heart cracked. “Because we’re younger than you. Because we didn’t want to trap you. Because Lucen is a moron.”

“HEY,” Lucen snapped, then sighed. “Okay maybe. But mostly because… we didn’t think we deserved you.”

Nyx’s eyes softened, but just barely. “Not good enough.”

“Then let me try harder,” Lucen said softly.

Everything fell silent. The world held its breath.

And then....The full moon slid from behind a cloud. Silver fire washed over us all. And the bond snapped like a whip.

Lyrielle gasped, her hand flying to her chest. Nyxaria staggered. Lucen gripped his hair. My knees buckled.

Vareth howled so loud I nearly roared aloud.

It was like being set on fire and kissed by the stars at the same time.

Magic coiled around my ribs, dragging me toward Lyrielle.

She struggled too, her dragon Seiryn roaring in her mind.

Nyx clutched her heart, her golden aura pulsing, Vhalra’s voice echoing through her.

Lucen stumbled toward her like gravity had reversed.

We all froze in the space between us, close enough to feel each other’s breath, but not close enough to touch.

Nyxaria whispered, her voice trembling, “If it was last year… if it wasn’t new…”

Lyrielle finished, tears falling again, “Then it wasn’t betrayal.”

“Not by us,” I breathed. “Never by us.”

“And now we know who really tried to break us,” Lucen growled.

Nyxaria’s eyes flashed molten. “I’m going to kill them.”

Lyrielle sniffed. “Can I help?”

The corner of my mouth pulled up. “Gods, I love you.”

Her eyes widened, then she flushed pink. The bond pulsed. Hard.

I reached up slowly, giving her time to pull away. “Lyri, please. Tell me there’s a chance. Any chance. Because I can’t lose you.”

She stared at me, breathing hard.

“I’m still angry,” she said.

“I deserve that.”

“But I’m angrier at them.”

Vareth wagged his metaphorical tail. "Mate forgives! Mate loves! Mate..."

“Shut up,” I muttered.

Lyrielle gave the smallest laugh, broken but real.

Nyxaria folded her arms. “Don’t think you’re forgiven, Lucen Velmira.”

“I wouldn’t dare assume,” he said quietly. “But I’ll fight for it.”

The bond flared again, hotter and brighter, dragging the four of us even closer.

Lyrielle whispered, “We’re still hurt.”

Nyxaria added, “But we’re listening.”

I exhaled, shaking. “That’s enough. That’s everything.”

Lyrielle reached out, hesitant and trembling, and took my hand.

The world exploded in silver fire.

Nyxaria stared at Lucen, fury burning, and heartbreak cracking her voice. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Lucen stepped forward, lifted her hand, and pressed his forehead to her knuckles.

“Never again.”

Lyrielle wiped her tears. “We’re not done talking. You two have a LOT to explain.”

I nodded. “As long as you don’t run again.”

Nyx scoffed. “We flew. There’s a difference.”

“And I will chase you every time,” Lucen murmured.

Lyrielle sighed and leaned into me, finally letting herself soften. The bond hummed like a heartbeat shared between four souls.

And for the first time since the party, the pain eased.

Just a little. Enough. Enough to start healing.